Appraisal

Several municipalities have asked us to analyse their archive situation as they are planning on merging with neighbouring municipalities. We assess size and quality of the available archive rooms, compile a quantity structure of all available archive materials in the concerned municipalities, estimate possible space gained through appraisal and design the process of the merger in respect to filing systems and archives.

In most cantons there are regulations or at least recommendations about record retention periods. However, in practice, there are restraints to implement these regulations. We advise the local government’s employees by going through the records shelf by shelf, discussing legal retention periods and, when these have expired, dispose of the records (deliberate, confidential destruction). Appraisal projects such as these normally take one or two days in smaller to middle-sized municipalities. They usually precede the description process.

For federal or cantonal agencies the appraisal-authority lies with the federal or state archives. However, we are often called in to help appraise and transfer records to the respective archives.

For a specific company we designed archive regulations including retention periods. Subsequently we appraised their large archives which freed 400 linear metres of space.